1920s Photos Wrongly Donated; Tinley Library Searches For Owner

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Since this article was published, a Patch reader contacted the Tinley Park Public Library with a tip, and the owner has been identified, according to the library. We'll have details in an upcoming story.—JV]

TINLEY PARK, IL — Public libraries are no strangers to a good mystery. Their shelves are filled with the works of masters of the genre, such as Agatha Christie, James Patterson, Patricia Highsmith and James Ellroy.

But it's rare when a library becomes the subject of its whodunnit, and the Tinley Park Public Library is at the center of a baffling puzzle. In fact, officials are hoping residents can lend their detective skills and help solve this little mystery. Let's call it the Case of the Mistakenly Donated Old Photos.

Late last week, the library discovered that it had received a photo album that appears to have been accidentally included in a box of donated books, virtual services librarian Sarah Schroeder told Patch. What makes the find particularly intriguing — and why the rightful owner might have a strong sentimental attachment to the pictures — is the age of the photos. The most recent images are from the 1960s and '70s, and some of them go as far back as the 1920s, Schroeder said.

Two last names that pop up frequently among the people in the photos are Morris and Watts, she said. And one woman with a rather unique moniker — Wilmuth Morris, who was born in 1896 and died in 1972 — appears in many of the pictures, Schroeder added.

"Something that's frustrating is that I feel like I've seen these folks before," she said about some of the individuals depicted. That sense of familiarity has led Schroeder to contact people who have attended past classes she's taught at the library to see if the photos might belong to any of them.

Since Friday, Feb. 16, the library has been spreading the word about the photo discovery on its Facebook page in hopes that someone might have information that could shed some light on the mini-mystery and give it a happy ending.

"It's a shame," Schroeder said about the photos. "Hopefully, we can find who they belong to."

Anyone with information about the photos can call the library at 708-532-0160 or visit the circulation desk at the library, 7851 Timber Drive.

Photos ranging from the 1920s to the 1970s might have accidentally been included in a box of donated books given to the Tinley Park Public Library recently. (Photos via the Tinley Park Public Library)